Ray of Light
by kmylove
Summary: Sequel/spin-off to A Second Chance. Back on Kinmoku, Seiya comes to realize that she has fallen in love again. But in a jealousy outburst she says things which might ruin any chance of finding happiness. Will she be forgiven?
1. Alone at Midnight

_Like I promised in the Teaser I've posted in A Second Chance, this fic is going to be a sequel/spin-off, focusing on what happens to Seiya, in the light of the direction I set in the Epilogue for ASC. Back then I knew I wanted to write, at some point, a happy-end for Seiya as well and, in the mean time, I realized how I want that happy end to be like. This chapter has the most elements linking to A Second Chance, but the next ones will be totally independent from the first story._

_I hope it is enjoyed and I'm looking forward for any type of criticism._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters, nor am I planning to make any profit out of this._

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**Chapter 1 – Alone at Midnight  
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The full moon was shining brightly above the city of Tokyo, probably brighter than it ever had during the past four years. Alone in the balcony of their apartment, her elbows leaning on the railing, Seiya observed this particular detail, a hushed sigh escaping her lips. She was dressed in her familiar red stage suit, having merely returned for a couple of hours from what had truly been the last performance of the Three Lights.

Seiya attentively observed all the details of the sleeping city as she meditated on everything that had happened during the four years since she had returned to Earth again. It was odd to realize how truthful two observations made back then had turned out to be in the end: she would never be good enough for her Odango and they would be friends forever, even though the blonde-haired angel was no longer bound by the destiny which she could not even remember. What surprised Seiya the most was that she didn't even feel so sorry about it any more.

The first few months of her return had seemed to be quite promising. First of all, Mamoru had done the most unexpected and love-proving gesture someone could ever do and had given up on his destiny with Usagi, just to let her follow her heart and chose freely. Second, her two best friends, Taiki and Yaten, had also come to Earth to be by her side for as long as it took. This made Seiya happy and secure, as she had doubted she would be able to stand being separated from them for too long. Third, it seemed that all of the arguments between them and the sol senshi had been left aside and they were all brought together by Usagi's tragedy. It was somehow strange for the Starlights when even the outer sol senshi had begun treating them like friends, although Seiya had only expected them to hate her even more for altering the path of Usagi's destiny.

Slowly, though, everything started turning into a nightmare for Seiya. Following Taiki's advice, the three of them had joined school again, so they could recreate a more familiar setting for Usagi, in hope that the girl could remember something, and to allow Seiya to have a reason to enter her life again and be by her side as much as possible. Seiya found it odd to be back in school, to find everyone look at the three of them like fallen idols for a while, before their career had completely been forgotten in favor of the newest boy band sensation. Besides, she wasn't all that happy that she had to play the charade of being a man all over again and she knew for sure that Taiki and Yaten, specially Yaten, disliked this just as much as her, if not even more. Seiya had wished that if she ever had a chance to be with Usagi it would be for who she really was, not for being just an illusion. It was painful to think that her Odango would fall in love with a male Seiya Kou and would want _him_ by her side forever. True, the personality was the same, Seiya tried to console herself, but still, she wanted to be loved for what she really was.

Thankfully, if such a word could apply to the situation, Seiya never got to know how it would be like to deal with having Usagi falling in love with her male form. Despite the attention, consideration, tenderness, friendship and love she always treated het with, Odango never saw her as more than a good friend, not even now that she didn't remember Mamoru and their destiny. At first it was hurtful for Seiya to realize that she had been given a second chance for nothing, but eventually the pain in her heart subsided as her feelings for the moon senshi turned from love into a deep friendship. The Tsukino Usagi she now saw daily was not her Odango any more, the bright, cheerful person who could melt the coldest of hearts with a smile. She was now more sad and insecure, scared. Her eyes no longer shone with the same light. Her tragedy had changed her, had made her grow up into a person which Seiya no longer recognized, one which she loved as friend, just like she loved Taiki and Yaten.

Seiya sighed and clasped her hands tightly on the railing. She was mad at herself for having been an awful friend for Taiki and Yaten, for having put them through pain for nearly four years because of her love for Usagi. Although they had never directly said anything to her, she knew as much as to realize that they disliked their stay more and more by the day.

As far as Taiki was concerned, Seiya imagined that she would be happy to be back on Earth and be close to Ami again, as she was fairly convinced that her amethyst-eyed friend had developed some feelings for the senshi of Mercury. Instead, the more she observed Taiki each day, the more she realized that she was not happy with their return. Taiki had always been the most quiet of the trio, enjoying the company of a book better than that of other people, but now it seemed she was isolating herself more than ever and refused any social interaction beside the one strictly necessary for school. Seiya had managed the courage to confront her about it one day, to ask her what was bothering her but she was met with a sorrowful look and with a one-worded reply: "Homesickness". It was an answer that really intrigued Seiya. Taiki had been homesick during their first stay on Earth as well, but she didn't act like that. There was definitely something else bothering her and Seiya quickly realized, remembering her own behaviour when they returned on Kinmokusei, that Taiki was more lovesick than she was homesick. Seiya chose not to ask anything about it, as she was feeling guilty for being the cause of Taiki's sadness, but she couldn't help wondering herself whom had stolen Taiki's heart back on Kinmokusei.

As for Yaten, well Yaten was Yaten. How she acted defied any logic for Seiya. Some days they would argue over the smallest of things and their arguments would escalate to the point where they insulted each other so badly that they wouldn't speak to one another for days afterwards. But other times Yaten was so different. Whenever Seiya felt too sad and needed someone to talk to, Yaten would be there for her, listening to her sorrows, offering a comforting word. Seiya found it odd how in those moments it felt like Yaten was the only one who truly understood what she was going through, as if she was going through, or had gone through, an unrequited love as well. She always ended up shrugging the thought away with a smile, it seemed impossible for her to believe that her silver-haired friend could be in love and she thought that Yaten deserved better than sharing her same fate. But all in all, sometimes, when she looked at the little shrimp, as she liked to call her, whenever she looked into her eyes, Seiya could spot the same sadness which was present in Taiki's, the same mixture of homesickness and lovesickness, albeit at a smaller, or probably more concealed, scale.

What a horrible person she felt like when she thought about Taiki and Yaten. How lucky she was to have friends like them, who had accepted to put their happiness aside just to stay with her. Fortunately the nightmare of their stay had all ended with a phone-call she got from Mamoru, two months ago. With great sorrow in his voice, the man was letting her know that Usagi had recovered her memories, but that it seemed he had lost her forever because she thought he had left her. Seiya had assured him that things would work out in the end and time proved that she was right: Usagi had found out why Mamoru acted as he did, she forgave him and Mamoru proposed to her.

Seiya had wished to return to Kinmokusei as soon as things sorted themselves out, but Usagi had insisted that they remain for the wedding. Seiya could not refuse her new best friend, so the three of them remained to Earth for a couple of months to be by her side for the happy event. It had been a beautiful ceremony and Seiya was surprised how well she took it. It seemed that her heart had healed and had let go of Odango, although a new painful truth was now slowly consuming her, the feeling that she would never be loved, that she was cursed to love and never have her feeling returned.

At the beginning of the reception that followed the wedding, the Starlights bid their farewells to the newlyweds and to the rest of the sol senshi, then they've offered their modest gift for them, a final performance of "Nagareboshi he". It had been a performance that surprised both Seiya and the audience. The passion they had put into the song had been new and incredible. Seiya allowed her sorrow of being unfortunate in her love to flow through the song, to mix itself with the messages the other Lights were singing. Taiki was singing for her love as well, for the love she was far away from. Too focused on her own emotions, Seiya didn't even realize that it was in absolutely no way different from the way the amethyst-eyed senshi had always sang that song. However Seiya's focus on her own message was interrupted and she took a few moments before realizing it was because of Yaten's singing. It had something completely different, it conveyed so much sadness and sorrow and, at the same time, so much love, that Seiya couldn't believe her senses. She glanced at the smaller woman with a corner of her eye, but she couldn't see anything different in her expression. How perfectly she was hiding all of that inside of her, she for whom other people's feelings were not a mistery. _"Who are you singing for, shrimp?"_, Seiya wondered, not even bothering to wonder why did she feel Yaten's message so clearly. By the time they had finished the song, nearly every person present at the party was in tears. As the sol senshi explained to them before they left, their shine had been brighter and more special than they had ever seen it before, their song had been special, sad, overwhelming.

Seiya snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned her head slightly, her blue eyes meeting a pair of yellow-green ones, looking at her with concern. Gently, Seiya took Yaten's hand into her own and smiled, taking one last glance at the bright moon and at the city, before answering an unasked question:

"I'm fine. Let's go, shrimp!" Much to Seiya's surprise, Yaten didn't answer back at the small and innocent insult and merely faked a smile. They walked out of the apartment and locked the door, heading for the rooftop, where Taiki was already waiting.

After a slight nod from Seiya, the three of them were surrounded by a flash of light, as their disguises vanished, revealing Sailor Star Fighter, Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer. Three voices pierced through the silence of the night, calling on their power, before the three senshi turned into three rays of light ascending towards the sky in their long travel home. That night, a vigilant eye, would have noticed three shooting stars rising off Earth, instead of falling down towards it.


	2. Home

_Well, it probably took a bit more than I expected, but here is the second chapter, judging by the title you can guess what happens. Also, it clears up a mystery I've intended to create towards the end of Chapter 1 (more specifically, the part where I described the performance of Nagareboshi He). Did I make you curious? Good :p Oh, if you won't like it, don't flame me, please ^^ _

_I also feel the need to clarify one thing before going further into the fiction, the name issue. First off, I am an adept of the theory that Kou is their given name, and Seiya, Taiki and Yaten are their last names, which are used in order to avoid obvious confusions. Also, I like to believe that these are indeed their real names, not something they invented just to use on Earth. Second, while they are in their senshi form and most of the times when they address's to one another while on Kinmoku, I shall use their senshi names: Fighter, Maker, Healer. I shall use Seiya, Taiki and Yaten when they think about one another, or when describing their actions while they are in their "civilian" form._

_I have most of chapter 3 already planned out in my head and I can say that it will definitely be interesting. Well, that's how I see it, but at least it will spice up the plot a bit._

_Before I say anything more, I need to give a huge thank you to **diantha glitter** for getting me into becoming a Starlight fan and for helping out my muse. _

_I hope that the readers of this chapter would leave behind some feedback, I want to have an idea of what impact this fiction is making, so I can have a better sense of how I should write it off. Don't be scared to poke me for being too vague, or to express your suspicions about what my mind can come up with for Seiya. Even if I get no reviews, I'm still going to continue writing this :p_

_I've rambled too much, so on with the reading. Enjoy :)_

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**Chapter 2 – Home**

The road home was long and exhausting, but the three shooting stars never once felt tired, drawing their energy from the burning wish to see their planet again. It was a wish only matched in strength by the doubts and fears which clouded their hearts.

It was something they never spoke about between themselves, each of them guessing that the mere mention of the matter would do nothing but sadden the others, but still each of them being aware that the others thought about it too.

What troubled the Starlights so greatly was the fear of what would expect them back on Kinmokusei. The time passed on Kinmokusei at the same rhythm as it did on Earth, so they had been gone for four years. As much as they would have loved to believe that they could just return and resume their normal lives, as if they had just left yesterday, they knew that it was probably just a silly and impossible dream. It was hard, but they had eventually gotten used to the idea that their Princess had probably found other senshi from their system to become her guardians. They couldn't blame her if she did. As much as she was attached to them, she needed to be protected during their absence, so it was only natural if they had been replaced. But none of the three Lights really dared to think as far as to imagine what would become of their lives if they weren't guardians for the Princess any more. They had been by her side from a very young age, they had been brought up with the idea that they were destined to be her protectors and the very idea that they could have lost this very important part of their life was truly heartbreaking.

On top of this, Seiya was adding a huge feeling of guilt, knowing that if any of that happened, it was only her fault in the first place, that nothing would have happened had she not foolishly fallen in love with her Odango when everyone warned her against it. She wasn't an empath, nor a mind-reader, but she imagined that Taiki and Yaten were blaming her for their long stay on Earth and for everything that could happen once they arrived on their home planet. Seiya was wrong, however. Taiki and Yaten, as scared as they were about returning, not once have blamed her about the situation. They had wanted to go to Earth after her, they hadn't been forced to, because they couldn't stand the thought of them being separated for whoever knows how long. Besides, each in their own way, Taiki and Yaten understood Seiya's wish to pursue her love, although none of them dared to do the same thing when it came to themselves.

Eventually, after a long travel across galaxies, the most anticipated and, at the same time, feared moment arrived, the three Lights making their appearance in the palace garden. Fighter, Maker and Healer fought the tiredness they felt after their energy-draining journey and just stood there in complete silence, their eyes slowly moving across every inch of the scenery, registering every detail, their noses slowly inhaling the scent of fragrant olives and Kinmoku fire-lilies which they had missed so much. Tears welled up in their eyes as the emotion of their return slowly overcame them, all previous worries forgotten for the moment. How much they had missed that scenery and how they wished they could freeze up that peaceful and quiet moment and keep it in their hearts forever.

"Fighter, Maker, Healer..." a voice so familiar and beloved suddenly reached their ears. Each of them turned around as they heard their names, their gazes meeting Princess Kakyuu, who was smiling at them and looked near to tears herself. Fighting their initial urge to run and hug her, the Starlight senshi chose the more appropriate formal greeting and knelt into a formal bow in front of the Princess, with their rights hands placed over their hearts, lowering their heads humbly in anticipation of any bad news that she might greet them with.

Healer gasped softly and raised her head when she felt a warm touch on her shoulder and a delicate grip on the hand across her chest. A mixture of surprise and happiness could be seen in her yellowish-green eyes as she looked at the Princess and got up on her feet, being pulled into a warm embrace. Healer realized that tears were flowing down her cheeks but she didn't attempt to wipe them, not even after Kakyuu slowly broke the embrace and moved to Fighter which she greeted with a similar gesture. Not even the raven-haired senshi could hold her tears back in front of such a greeting and she observed as the Princess moved to Maker. The amethyst-eyed senshi had not raised her eyes off the ground until the Princess gently grabbed her by the chin and lifted her head, their eyes meeting. Fighter blinked and her eyes widened a bit when she observed the way Maker and Kakyuu looked at each other before the Princess offered her hand to help Maker up and pulled her into an embrace which conveyed a deep affection. Fighter suddenly realized whom had Maker missed so much while they had been on Earth. She was surprised with the idea, but despite what she had once felt for the Princess, she couldn't feel jealous on her friend, specially since it seemed that her feelings were shared. Fighter shifted her gaze towards Healer, wondering if she was equally surprised, but she was met with the sight of a smile adorning the silver-haired senshi's face, a smile which betrayed the fact that she wasn't the least surprised about Maker.

"You have been missed" the Princess softly spoke as she pulled away from Maker, looking into her eyes, making the Starlights wonder each in their own way if her words had been addressed to the three of them, or just to Maker. "Something troubles you, my faithful friends" she added, turning towards Fighter, whom she knew that wouldn't stop from saying whatever was bothering them. However, she was surprised to see that even Fighter was hesitant in speaking, taking longer than she used to in order to find the best words.

"Princess, we... we have been away for a long time and now that we are back... what will become of us?" Fighter finally managed to speak, although she couldn't find better words.

"It all depends on your wish, my dearest Lights" the Princess replied with a kind smile.

"My wish is to serve and guard you, my Princess" Healer was the first to answer, dropping back to her knee and resuming her earlier pose.

"Mine is the same" Fighter continued, following her example.

"As is mine" Maker ended in the same way.

A slight hint of disappointment could be seen in Kakyuu's eyes. Even though she knew that the Starlights were destined to protect her, she wished she could change that and have them stay by her side only as friends, instead of having to see them risk their lives for her sake. But their loyalty and dedication was impossible to change it seemed.

"Rise, Starlights. If this is your wish, you shall resume your position as my guardian senshi. Times had been peaceful until know, we can only pray that they remain this way from now on as well" Kakyuu spoke in her gentle voice. "You are tired, please, go to your rooms and rest. We shall have plenty of time to speak about what has happened during your absence once you have all regained your strength" she added, turning around and walking back into the palace.

Fighter, Healer and Maker were all happy and relieved to see that their fears had been in vain and that they could return to their normal lives, although, deep into their hearts, each of them hoped that at least one part of their lives would be different this time around, their love. Maker was the first to walk towards the palace, wishing to retire as soon as possible to the confines of her room, so she could think about the sweet moment when she saw the Princess again, remembering her gestures, looks and words, to convince herself that it hadn't been just a trick of her mind. Healer smiled contentedly, watching her walk away. Fighter watched the smaller woman, carefully observing how beautiful she looked when she smiled, how her eyes seemed to gain a more intense colour when she did so, how her silvery strands of hair slowly moved into the delicate breeze.

"It's not polite to stare, baka..." An annoyed voice suddenly brought Fighter back to reality and she realized that she had indeed been staring. She couldn't understand what had gotten into her to think like that about Healer, so she proceeded at playing her normal role in the comedy of their strange friendship and tugged at the smaller woman's ponytail, replying:

"I was wondering for how long have you known, that's all, midget."

"Ouch, baka, don't do that!" Healer pouted, moving away from Fighter, in order to make sure that her hair was safe from any other similar gestures. "Known what?" she continued, slightly intrigued.

"You know what I'm talking about, shrimp. Maker's feelings for the Princess..."

"Remember that thing I have, called empathy?" Healer replied in a sarcastic tone.

Fighter quirked her eyebrow and closed the distance between her and the "shrimp". "It's hard to remember about it when you never seemed to have a clue about my feelings."

Healer blushed slightly, not exactly sure where Fighter was trying to get at with that statement, aware that if she wasn't careful, she could be dragged into a very delicate subject for her.

"That, my dear baka, is because I am blocking your feelings from reaching me" Healer replied with a brutal honesty, and slided away from Fighter with a true feline agility, heading quickly for her room, leaving her raven-haired friend so puzzled that she didn't even get the chance to think about demanding explanations about what she had just said.


	3. Would You Mind if I Hurt You?

_Many many many apologies to everyone that's been waiting for me to update this story. I didn't imagine it would take me so long, but between school work and RP'ing I couldn't find enough time to type it up, although I had the plan in my had from before I even wrote the first two chapters._

_A great thank you to Diantha Glitter, who saved me from a rather OOC Seiya moment I had originally planned for the chapter. _

_I'll try my best to write the next chapter sooner, since I'm very fond of it. It's going to be nice, but sad, that's all I can say._

_Reviews would be delightful :)_

_Enjoy ^^ _

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**Chapter 3 – Would You Mind If I Hurt You?**

The two weeks that followed the return of the Starlights have been more than interesting. After her years of absence and of keeping her feelings just to herself, Taiki had finally gathered up the courage to confess her love to Princess Kakyuu. Much to Taiki's surprise, Kakyuu admitted to harboring similar feelings as well. That is why, what was meant to be a ball to celebrate the return of the three senshi, would now also be the event during which the Princess would officially announce her heart's chosen one to the kingdom. Kakyuu wasn't the slightest bit afraid of the reactions to the news that she wanted to tie her destiny to one of her senshi guardians, but Taiki was beyond nervous. It took a lot of effort from Kakyuu, Seiya and Yaten to calm her down and assure her that everything would be fine and that people wouldn't disapprove of her relationship with the Princess just because of the social status difference.

The night of the grand ball had arrived. Alone in her room, Seiya was getting ready for the event. She had already put on her dress and she was taking a final look at herself in the mirror, to make sure that her rebellious hair looked somewhat proper. Seiya had to admit to herself that the dress was beautiful and it suited her nicely, despite all of her initial protests to wearing it. Following the orders of their Princess, the Starlights have been given gowns almost identical in style to the one she wore on a daily basis, the only difference residing in the fact that Seiya's had a blue predominant colour, Taiki's – violet and Yaten's – emerald green. All of them had refused wearing them, motivating that they made them look as if they were equals to the Princess, but Kakyuu eventually managed to convince them into accepting her wish.

With that final glance in the mirror, Seiya considered herself ready to go. After all she wasn't Yaten. She sighed as she thought about her. The past two weeks had turned into a genuine cat and mouse game between the two of them, with Seiya trying to find out why in the world would the empath block away her feelings out of everyone else's and Yaten more or less rudely avoiding the topic every time it was brought up. _"Why do I care anyway? Let her use how powers how she wants to" _she told herself for the possibly hundredth time since then.

Just as she decided not to think about Yaten any more and she took a step towards the door, Seiya was stopped in her tracks by an overwhelming feeling which took over her heart all of the sudden. Such an intense love, such intense suffering, longing and sadness. It wasn't the first time she was feeling that since their return and she knew exactly what the cause was. _"Just who are you singing for, Midget?"_ It was only surprising that each and every time she heard her sing, she could feel everything more and more intensely and that wasn't normal at all, since Yaten wasn't singing for her. Having decided that she had quite enough with it and that she needed to find out who and what troubled Yaten so much to make her sing like that, Seiya walked out of her room and turned towards the opposite end of the corridor, where Yaten's room was situated. Before she had a chance to take a few steps in that direction, however, she noticed the Princess entering the older Light's room. Imagining that whatever was bothering Yaten, she was bound to confess it to the Princess, Seiya slowly tip-toed towards the empath's room, feling very fortunate when she noticed that the door had been left slightly ajar, offering her a good view towards Yaten's vanity mirror.

Yaten was sitting in front of the mirror, on a small chair, her untied silver tresses almost reaching the floor. She wasn't singing any more, she was just sitting there with her eyes closed and a very sad look on her face while the Princess was slowly brushing her hair. Seiya was now really worried. She knew that Yaten only allowed someone else to brush her hair when she was extremely troubled about something, because, as the shorter woman herself had explained once, that simple gesture had an incredible soothing effect over her. Yaten had allowed her to brush her hair like that for a few times when they were on Earth, looking for their Princess, in those moments when she was losing all hope. Although it was something that happened so rarely, Seiya had really enjoyed those moments, often wishing that Yaten would allow her to brush her hair even when she wasn't sad.

"What troubles you so much, my dear Healer?" Kakyuu's soft voice broke the silence. She knew all too well what troubled the senshi and to whom her songs were addressed. But even though she knew it, she wanted Yaten to open up her heart and talk about it. The Princess was really worried about the habit Yaten had to keep everything bottled up into herself.

Yaten remained silent. To say that nothing was wrong, she would have told a lie and she couldn't do that when it came to her Princess. But to tell her what troubled her... Yaten shrugged at the thought.

"Healer, please... It's not good for you to always keep things for yourself. You need to talk and get things off your chest. It might not solve your problems, but at least you will feel better" the Princess insisted, stopping her brushing and placing her free hand on Yaten's shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile.

With a soft sight, Yaten slowly opened her eyes and placed her hand over Kakyuu's, blinking a few times to chase away the tears that were threatening to fall on her cheeks. "Princess, I... I'm in love" she finally spoke, almost in one breath, squeezing her eyes shut again.

"_In love?"_ Seiya gasped softly at the sound of those words. _"My Shrimp? In love?"_ she wondered in utter disbelief. _"Wait, what am I talking about? She isn't mine... she never was..."_ she tried to mentally scold herself, although that attempt made her even more shocked that she thought that way. Even though she knew that there might be more to hear, Seiya walked away from the door, her feet leading her almost instinctively to the ballroom, where she stopped directly in front of the refreshments table. Yaten, in love? How was that even possible? When did such a thing happen that she didn't know anything about it? How could she not notice anything? But what was there to notice anyway, Yaten had never behaved differently than she usually did. She never noticed her getting closer to anyone either. How could she not know? Why didn't she tell her? She had thought that they were friends, she had trusted her with all her doubts when it came to Usagi and instead Yaten didn't trust her at all and, on top of everything, she had the nerve of telling her that she had been blocking out her feelings from her empathy for years. Seiya fought the urge to scream out of frustration. If it was just frustration or if it was something else, something more, Seiya didn't know. She kept telling herself that it was none of her own business to care about Yaten's love life after all, after all she had her own love life to care about... a non-existant one...

Seiya tightened her grip on the glass of red wine. She didn't even process the fact that it was probably the sixth glass that she sipped almost in one breath and that the other five ones had already taken over her mind and were doing most of the thinking instead of her. Putting the glass down on the table with an angered gesture, she turned and looked around the ballroom, determined to confront Yaten once and for all. A grin tugged on her lips when she noticed her unsuspecting silver-haired victim in an opposite corner of the ballroom, talking to Taiki. The wine didn't seem to have had any effect on her appearance, no one would have even suspected that she had touched any alcohol just by looking at her, but her mind was in a complete haze, all centered around one idea: ruining Yaten's night unless she told her who her mystery lover was.

Approaching Yaten from behind she gestured Taiki not to betray her presence, gazing thoughtfully at the smaller woman's back for a few seconds before leaning to whisper into her ear: "So... the shrimp's in love..."

"You're drunk" Yaten stated flatly, feeling lucky that Seiya couldn't see that her face turned a few shades paler with fear that her raven-haired friend had heard her conversation with the Princess. Taiki however didn't miss that detail and was already looking at the two, quite worried that this might end up badly for one of her two friends, but unsure about what to say or do to prevent a drama.

"Who is it?" Seiya insisted. Taiki's eyes widened considerably when she noticed the way their leader glared at the smaller woman when she spoke.

"Seiya, you are drunk. It's better if you'd..." the taller of the starlights began, but she was abruptly cut off by Seiya, who seemed to be far too determined to get her answers, despite Yaten's obvious wish to remain silent in those aspects.

"It's unrequited love, isn't it?" Seiya continued. Taiki could only notice how Yaten grew even more pale, if such a thing was even possible. Hesitating between the impulse to draw closer to Yaten, who looked like she was about to faint at any second, and the one to get Seiya away immediately, Taiki could only watch and listen in shock as Seiya spoke some truly unbelievable words:

"It has to be unrequited love, don't you think so, Taiki? Silly Midget. As if there was anyone in this entire universe who could ever love a person like you..." she suddenly stopped, unable to say the rest of the idea that had somehow appeared into her mind. What she wanted to say... was just crazy. But what she had just said... the way it sounded... Seiya gasped and her eyes widened in shock as she realized how it sounded. She stared at the other two Lights, unable to speak, horrified, only to be met by one of the angriest looks she had ever seen from Taiki, who was gently shaking Yaten by the shoulders. Seiya noticed that the smaller Light seemed to be absolutely frozen into her place, instead of screaming or hitting her as it would have been expected after such a scene. Seiya couldn't see the look on Yaten's face though. It was mixture of shock and devastating sadness. She looked crushed.

Taiki's attempts to pull her out of her shock eventually seemed to have worked and Yaten blinked a few times, whispering almost mechanically: "I'll... go to my room. I'm fine..." It was much too obvious that she wasn't fine at all, and Taiki knew exactly how Yaten always said that, no matter how awful she felt, only not to make anyone worry about her. The amethyst-eyed senshi wanted to offer to take Yaten to her room but unfortunately, in only a few moments, the Princess was to make her important announcement and she couldn't be missing. Besides, looking as cool and indifferent as ever, Yaten slowly turned around and, without even looking at Seiya, walked out of the ballroom as if nothing had even happened.

Seiya just stood there, still too shocked at her own words. She couldn't say anything as she just looked at Taiki, who seemed just about to kill her at any second. Without a word nor explanation, nor caring that her exit might draw too much attention, Seiya rushed out of the ballroom, desperate to find Yaten and explain that she didn't mean to say what she just did. The first logical destination was the empath's room, but much to Seiya's horror, it was empty. She stood in the long hallway, wondering where to look for her next, when the vague sound of a muffled crying reached her ears. Seiya immediately rushed to its direction, some secondary stairs leading from their bedrooms to the back of the palace.

"Yaten!" she exclaimed, rushing down a few steps towards the smaller woman. She was kneeling on the stairs, clinging tightly to the railing, sobbing hard with her head hidden against her arms. She was a heart-breaking sight, even more for Seiya, who knew that she was the cause for Yaten's tears. Leaning towards her, Seiya tried to pull her into her arms but the very moment was touched, Yaten launched herself hysterically towards her, trying to slap her and push her away. Despite her inebriated state, Seiya managed to save herself and capture Yaten's hands into her own, pulling her into her arms and whispering softly: "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." But her apologies had no effect. Yaten cried like she had never seen her before, trying hard to break free from her arms. Seiya only held her tighter, trying to realize if there were any words which could possible mend what she had said.

Pulling Yaten up into her arms, Seiya carried her back to her room, bridal-style, holding her tightly against her chest, for fear that she would drop her since the silver-haired woman kept trying to break free. Once in Yaten's room, Seiya carefully placed the empath on her bed and rushed to lock the door, returning quickly at the side of the small woman, which was still sobbing and shaking violently. Seiya realized that tears were falling from her eyes as well, her heart aching with seeing Yaten so broken over her words. What had she done?

Slowly, Seiya lied down on her side, next to Yaten, wrapping her right arm over her waist to pull her close, rubbing her back soothingly, while her other hand slowly brushed through some strands of hair, in a desperate attempt to help the empath calm down. Too defeated to try and push Seiya away, even after everything she said, Yaten just sobbed into her arms until she had no more tears to cry and sleep slowly took over her.


	4. Eyes Open

_I never imagined it would take me so long to update. Even if I had the chapter completely outlined in my head, I found very few time to actually type it all up. Well, this finally clears up the mystery I tried to build in that teaser chapter. I hope it's enjoyed :) Reviews are more than welcome._

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**Chapter 4 – Eyes Open**

The first delicate rays of the morning sun entered through the windows of the small and simple room, their soft light slowly piercing through the thick veil of a very deep sleep.

Seiya didn't want to open up her eyes just yet. Just like it happened every morning, she tried to stay asleep a bit longer and fight that urge to wake up immediately after dawn, specially since she felt her head was in a complete haze. She was making a mental note not to cross the line with drinking again when she slowly became aware of the fact that she was not alone. As she was sleeping on her side, she had her arm affectionately and protectively draped over somebody's waist, keeping that person so close to her that she could feel her warmth and her faint breath against her chest. Seiya briefly wondered if the sensation had to do with her awful hangover but soon she remembered exactly where she had fallen asleep the night before.

With a soft gasp, Seiya opened her eyes, her gaze being met with the sight of Yaten, sleeping into her arms. Her dark-blue eyes moved across the sleeping form she was holding, registering every little detail, from the way her silvery hair fell onto her face as she slept on her side, to her face – upon which the shadow of deep sadness still lingered -, to the way her chest barely seemed to move to the very slow rhythm of her breaths. It was not the first time Seiya was seeing Yaten while she was asleep, but this time something was different. This time, as if a thick veil that had been keeping her blind had just been lifted from her eyes, Seiya was truly seeing Yaten. When she was awake she was always so rude, so ill-tempered, so cold. When she slept she looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, so delicate and fragile, a little fairy which could vanish at the smallest of touches. Seiya realized just how beautiful Yaten was. So often had she teased her about the way she looked and, even though she had never meant what she had said, now she understood that there was nothing to tease Yaten about because she was just perfect and... she loved that about her, she would have never changed a thing about her.

She loved that about her... Seiya loved just how calm she felt just by holding the smaller woman so close to her... she loved to watch her sleep... she wished she could just freeze that moment in time and just stay like that for an eternity. Just to be like that... it was all that she could really wish for in life. She felt happy, happier than she could recall having been in a very long time. Seiya slowly brought her hand to gently brush away a few strands of silver silky hair from Yaten's face, leaning to place the softest of kisses on her forehead. She was in love. Not with Kakyuu, not with Odango. She was in love with Yaten. It was impossible to tell when or how it happened but she had fallen in love with her friend. Probably it had happened during the time they had spent on Earth for the second time, when Yaten had been by her side during all those moments when she had been down and needed someone to talk to. Yaten had showed her a softer side of hers, even if for brief moments, and it seemed to have been enough to make her fall in love with her. If only she would have realized it before and not when it was...

Too late... Again, Seiya was one step too late. Sadness clouded her eyes when she remembered everything that had happened the previous night. She was too late. Yaten had already given her heart to someone, someone whom she loved with a great intensity judging by the way she sang to her. Knowing that Yaten was in love with someone was, however, the smallest of her worries at the moment. Maybe the smaller woman was right in calling her an idiot so often, because that's exactly how she felt like – if not, even worst. She had let herself driven by jealousy and she had hurt Yaten. She had hurt the one she loved in the worst possible way without even thinking it properly. Her own words still echoed in her mind: _"It has to be unrequited love, don't you think so, Taiki? Silly Midget. As if there was anyone in this entire universe who could ever love a person like you..."_ That wasn't right, that wasn't what she meant to say. There was more, but at that moment it sounded too odd, the thought took her by surprise and she couldn't voice it, she couldn't finish the sentence and say _"As if there was anyone in this entire universe who could ever love a person like you... as much as I love you."_ Too late... how can she possibly explain? How can she take that back? How can she even look Yaten in the eyes again after telling her such a horrible thing? The way Yaten cried... it was just too obvious that she had hurt her. Seiya had never seen Yaten cry like that before, in fact she could probably count the times she had seen Yaten cry at all. Never like that though. Never did she look so broken. All because of her.

Seiya was ashamed of herself and most of all, she was scared. She didn't know how to face Yaten once the other woman would wake up, she knew that a simple "I'm sorry" wouldn't make up for her words. Slowly, Seiya removed her hand from Yaten's waist and got up, careful not to wake Yaten up. Fortunately for her, the other woman was still sleeping soundly. Seiya gazed for one last time at the sleeping angel in the bed, her eyes full of sadness and love, before turning to cross the room, making as little noise as it was humanly possible as she unlocked the door and walked out of the room.

Once she found herself out in the hallway, Seiya drew a deep breath to hold back the tears which were threatening to fall from her eyes. Holding her gaze fixed to the floor, Seiya walked almost mechanically towards her own room. Barely did she open the door and made a few steps inside, that Seiya suddenly found herself slapped hard across the cheek. Bringing a hand to her burning cheek, the dark-haired Light lifted her gaze to find Taiki standing in front her, glaring at her angrily. Even if Seiya had rarely seen Taiki angry at anyone before, this time it was too obvious that she was beyond angry at her. If, normally, a gesture like Taiki's would have made Seiya start an argument, or even hit back, this time the youngest Light only lowered her head, quietly. She knew that she deserved that and more.

"I know that you and Yaten can't spend five minutes without insulting each other, but what you've said last night crossed any limit" Taiki broke the silence, speaking in a cold voice.

"That's not what I wanted to say, Taiki", Seiya tried to reply in her defence, only to receive another slap on her other cheek.

"Then you should learn to think before opening your mouth. Nothing justifies what you've said to Yaten", Taiki countered angrily.

Seiya lifted her head and glared at the other woman, raising her voice. "That's not what I meant! I was drunk! I was jealous! I did speak without thinking. I wanted to say that there was no one in the universe who could love her as much as I do, but the thought took me by surprise too and I just couldn't finish it. I love her, Taiki, I love her! I know I've just destroyed my life and hers just because I'm an idiot, I didn't need you to remind me of it!"

Taiki's eyes widened considerably as she heard Seiya's words. The idea that Seiya could have fallen in love with Yaten was shocking, to say the least. It wasn't that Taiki found it odd or disturbing that Seiya could have fallen in love with someone with whom she was arguing all day long, but she had been having a certain suspicion for quite a while. In the light of everything that had happened the previous night, if her suspicion turned out to be true, then Seiya was right in saying that she had destroyed Yaten's life with her words.

"You can only hope Yaten can forgive you" Taiki spoke behind walking right past Seiya, walking out of her room, heading for Yaten's.

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_All alone in her room, Yaten was getting dressed for the ball. All alone with her thoughts, Yaten started singing. A sad song, a love song which she had written during one of the sleepless nights she had spent on Earth. Although her voice was low, singing only for herself, Yaten's feelings of love, longing and sadness gave the song a great intensity, great enough to make it resonate and reach the heart of the one it had been written for. Just as she finished arranging her dress and was turning around towards her vanity mirror to brush her hair, Yaten gasped softly and stopped singing when her eyes met her Princess, which had just walked into the room. Yaten greeted her with a bow, to which Kakyuu replied with a smile, before walking towards the vanity table and picking up the hair brush._

"_May I?" she softly asked her silver-haired senshi._

_Yaten nodded and sat down on the small chair in front of the mirror, untying the ribbon that held her silvery tresses bound in the ponytail, letting them flow freely over her back. Kakyuu smiled and approached the small empath, beginning to brush her hair. Yaten closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing feeling the gesture was bringing to her._

"_What troubles you so much, my dear Healer?" Kakyuu's soft voice broke the silence._

_Yaten remained silent, shrugging a bit, hesitant to tell the Princess what was wrong, although she knew that the Princess was the most perceptive to the hidden messages in the songs and she was probably aware of everything which she was trying to hide. _

"_Healer, please... It's not good for you to always keep things for yourself. You need to talk and get things off your chest. It might not solve your problems, but at least you will feel better" the Princess insisted, stopping her brushing and placing her free hand on Yaten's shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile._

_With a soft sigh, Yaten slowly opened her eyes and placed her hand over Kakyuu's, blinking a few times to chase away the tears that were threatening to fall on her cheeks. _

_With a soft sight, Yaten slowly opened her eyes and placed her hand over Kakyuu's, blinking a few times to chase away the tears that were threatening to fall on her cheeks. "Princess, I... I'm in love" she finally spoke, almost in one breath, squeezing her eyes shut again._

_The Princess gently squeezed Yaten's shoulder, trying to encourage her. "Love is such a beautiful feeling, Healer. Why does it bring you so much sorrow?"_

"_Love is beautiful when it's a shared feeling. Love brings sorrow when it's unrequited, when you fall in love with someone who could never feel the same way about you, with that one person for whom you would never be good enough" Yaten softly replied, her voice barely above a whisper, fighting back tears._

_Kakyuu's eyes filled with sadness at the sound of Yaten's words. Gifted with a small amount of empathy herself, the Princess had realized exactly how what Yaten felt and towards whom from the very day in which the Starlights returned to Kinmokusei. It brought her sorrow to hear the empathic senshi speak about it, though. _

"_Healer, you should tell her how you feel. You shouldn't keep this for yourself, it's a very hard burden on your heart" Kakyuu softly added._

"_Princess, I... I'm scared. I'm scared that if I tell her, I'd lose her. I wish I had courage to just go to her, look into her blue eyes and say 'Aishiteru ...' "_

Yaten's eyelids fluttered open and she woke up from the dream in which she relived the past evening's discussion before she had the chance to finish her sentence, before she had the chance to speak the name of the one she loved with all her heart. Seiya's words began echoing through her head, stabbing though her heart, shattering it into tiny pieces. The petite empath curled up to her side and began crying inconsolably. Seiya was right, she was an awful person, always mean, always brutally honest, hurting people with her words. No one could ever love her, that significant one could never love her. _She _could never love her, _she_ would never hear the word 'Aishiteru' from her. All of Yaten's fears that _the one_ would reject her if she found out how she felt had been confirmed in a much too brutal way than the eldest Light had ever imagined.

Taiki walked into Yaten's room to be met with the sight of the smaller woman crying, like she had never seen her cry before. Rushing to sit on the bed next to her, Taiki gently lifted Yaten and cradled her into her arms, holding her close to her chest while she cried. Gently stroking her silver hair, trying to calm the empath down, Taiki whispered: "Don't cry, little Kou. Please, don't cry. It hurts to see you like this." Her words had no effect upon Yaten, which only cried harder into her arms. "Don't cry, Kou. I'm sure she didn't mean it, she was drunk..." Taiki insisted, tears welling up into her violet eyes.

Taiki's words were interrupted by Yaten's soft tear-chocked whispers. "It doesn't matter... it hurts too much... it hurts so much... because... I love her... I love Seiya..."


End file.
